Description
Ina Garten’s goat cheese toasts combine rustic French flavors with elegant simplicity. Crisp baguette slices topped with creamy herbed goat cheese create a delightful appetizer you’ll savor at your next gathering.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 French baguette (fresh)
- 8 oz (225 g) creamy goat cheese (like Montrachet), room temperature
- 1–2 garlic cloves, halved lengthwise
- olive oil (good quality)
- kosher salt (or sea salt)
- freshly ground black pepper
- green olives (Castelvetrano), pitted and halved
Instructions
- Oven Preparation: Calibrate oven to 400°F (200°C), ensuring uniform heat distribution for consistent toasting.
- Bread Transformation: Slice baguette diagonally into twelve elegant, thin pieces, creating uniform crostini bases with precision cutting techniques.
- Initial Seasoning: Arrange bread slices on baking sheet, lavishly coating each piece with extra virgin olive oil, then delicately seasoning with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to elevate flavor complexity.
- Toasting Process: Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges achieve a golden-brown crispness, maintaining a watchful eye to prevent over-browning.
- Aromatic Enhancement: After removing from oven, gently rub each toast with a freshly cut garlic clove, infusing subtle, fragrant undertones into the crisp surface.
- Cheese Application: Spread a luscious, creamy layer of goat cheese across each toast, ensuring complete and smooth coverage.
- Final Garnish: Crown each crostini with halved green olives, creating an elegant and tantalizing visual and flavor finish.
- Serving Suggestion: Present these gourmet toasts warm or at ambient temperature, offering a sophisticated appetizer that delights the palate.
Notes
- Slice Precisely: Cut baguette diagonally at exact ¼-inch thickness for uniform, crispy toasts that cook evenly.
- Oil Evenly: Brush olive oil generously but lightly to prevent soggy bread and achieve golden, crisp edges.
- Garlic Technique: Gently rub raw garlic clove on warm toast to infuse subtle, aromatic flavor without overwhelming intensity.
- Temperature Control: Toast at 400°F for 8-10 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning and ensure perfect golden-brown color.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 270
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg